The trend of reading standards re‐assessed

Abstract

For over a century there have been frequent criticisms of the standard of educational attainment in England and Wales and, in many instances, it has been alleged that a decline has taken place. In contrast, the little factual evidence that is available indicates a considerable improvement over this period, but a reversal of the trend may have occurred between the national reading surveys of 1961 and 1971. Findings from the Medical Research Council's National Survey of Health and Development suggest that figures from the 1961 national reading survey overestimated the standard of reading of 15‐year‐olds and that there was no significant decline during the 1960s. Demands for changes in educational policy and practice, which rest on the presumption of falling standards, have little justification.